Reading and cycling – four books to enjoy while it’s cold outside — Weelz.fr

Reading and cycling often go hand in hand; because in our life as a cyclist, be it everyday life, traveler, sportsman, professional or even all of the above, we don’t just pedal. It is important to stand back, (re)pose, reflect on life or simply have fun. Reading is a good activity for this.

And then a book can easily fit in a backpack, a satchel or a satchel. Here’s a selection of cycling books to enjoy when you’re not in the saddle (avoid doing both at the same time, it’s dangerous).

“It is curious to cyclists that it has to make sentences” by Jean-René Farrayre

Paraphrasing Michel Audiard*, the author Jean-René Farrayre evokes this difficult to define link that unites cyclists and writing. The man is as fond of literature as he is of cycling. And when he’s not on the bike following the peloton or climbing passes, Jean-René Farrayre is reading. And what he likes to read (among other things) are books about cycling.

In this work of about 120 pages, the writer-cyclist evokes the different forms of cycling writing: the biography, the travel diary, the guide, the novel or even poetry. It tries to understand and analyze what drives cycling enthusiasts to put words to their training, whatever it may be. Moreover, it mentions not only books, but also digital authors (by the way, Jean-René, apparently, is a Weelz reader! ?).

“It is curious to cyclists that it has to make sentences” by Jean-René Farrayre – Publication 08/12/2022 by Éditions TOTEM – 120 pages

* “Curiously, among sailors, it has to make sentences” – Words uttered by Francis Blanche in Les Tontons Flingueurs when he knocks a sailor off a barge, before throwing him overboard.

“My 1000 km by bike” by Coralie Vasseur

We replace the register with a book about a cycling enthusiast (Has Jean-René Farrayre read it?). In this book”My 1000 kilometers by bike“, Coralie Vasseur simply talks about her very first solo adventure on a bike.Two wheels, two panniers and a good dose of willpower […] I take you on what for me was a real beginner’s journey by bicycle“says the author in his preamble.

Coralie, an interior designer by trade, left Compiègne to get to Copenhagen in the summer of 2019. A 1,000 kilometer bike ride. In his book, he talks about his journey, his preparation, the equipment, but also the encounters, the setbacks. He conveys his feelings with every turn of the pedals, but also gives practical advice, sometimes not without humor (chapter “How to smell clean with three panties“).

He also mentioned the doubts, not only of himself, but also of those around him. Because even in the 21st century, we are still curious that a woman undertakes such a journey, moreover alone. An inspiring testimony.

“My 1000 km by bike” by Coralie Vasseur at Éditions Kiwi – Publication 07/12/2022 – 168 pages

“On wheels” said Micka Berrotaran

Another bike travel book. This time, a man traveled solo (but no one is telling) from Lima to Ushuaia, that’s 10,000 km by bicycle in South America. From Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Micka Berrotaran, made this trip in 2019 to support an association, ZurekiN, that helps people with disabilities. One of the childhood friends, Thomas, became a quadriplegic following a sports accident.

“On the road, I grasp freedom with my fingers. I met amazing people. I saw unreal landscapes. I have lived in moments of suffering and greatness that are not common” testimony of the author in the newspaper Sud-Ouest. Back in the Basque Country, Micka felt the need to put words to these memories (to make sentences as Jean-René would say). From this wandering on two wheels in the Andes cordillera, a collection appears

“On wheels” by Micka Berrotaran, self-published book available on the Kisskissbankbank platform. Graphic design and illustrations: Clara Lauga.

“tour de force” by Frederic Kinder

The Angoulême comic strip festival just ended. We don’t know if Riad Sattouf* rides a bike, but we do know that he ruined Vincent Lacoste’s cycling career. Frédéric Kinder is passionate about the Petite Reine. This book is not new, it was published in 2005. In this comic strip, the author describes behind the scenes of the pre-war Tour de France. The little stories in the Great History of the Tour de France. He composed there in drawing and in text the anecdotes within this platoon of convicts facing the rutted roads of the time.

* Riad Sattouf (“The Arab of the Future”) won the Grand Prize at the Angoulême 2023 comic book festival.

“tour de force” by Frédéric Kinder – Release 06/17/2005 – 45 pages